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Sword Buying Tips

Buying a sword can be a bit confusing so at buyingasword.com, we have developed a guide for any new or experienced sword collector or re-enactor. We offer a vast selection of swords in varying price ranges. We carry swords from many different sword manufacturers from all around the world to bring you the very best selection. So let's get started and see what type of sword will best suit you.

What are your intentions with your sword purchase? We have three main classes of swords available at buyingasword.com.

Decorative Swords - Decorative swords are only made for display use and are never intended to be used to hit anything. These swords are not constructed the same way as a functional sword. Most decorative swords are made of stainless steel or un-tempered carbon steel with thin welds on the tang. The fact these blades are made of stainless steel, means that they require little maintenance to stay looking great for years to come. Some of the decorative swords we carry are made with fine materials, such as gold and silver plating with gold etchings on blade. Most decorative swords range from $16 all the way up to $900. These swords are easy for an interior decorator or costume designer to decorate a home or dress for an event like a wedding or party. Decorative swords are mainly used as wall decor, displays, home or office décor, given as ceremonial gifts, or for medieval costume. This makes them perfect as home decoration and conversation pieces, as well as a nice collectible for the sword collector or enthusiast.

Functional Swords - Functional swords are also known as Battle Ready swords. Functional swords are real swords that range from $50 to upwards of $2000. These swords are generally made of high carbon steel as many of the originals were during their historical period. Since functional swords are made of high carbon steel they will require cleaning after each use to prevent rust. Functional swords have blade tangs that are longer, thicker, and forged as part of the blade. This category of swords is necessary for anyone who wants to use their sword more than they would want to display it. However, functional swords are quite beautiful and still make great display pieces when they are properly maintained. If you are into martial arts, enjoy re-enacting, or just want a true weapon to have fun with, this is the category for you. Functional swords can come sharpened or unsharpened depending on the manufacturer. It is best to check the individual item's description for this information. All these functional swords are made by top manufacturers from around the world like Cold Steel, Darksword Armory, Valiant Armoury, Windlass, Legacy Arms, Hanwei, and CAS Iberia. Types of functional swords that we carry are Pirate Cutlasses, Claymores and William Wallace Swords, Bastard Swords, Civil War Sabers, Two Handed Swords, Broadswords, Hand and a Half Swords, German Swords, Viking Swords, Roman Gladius Swords, Scimitars and much more.

Stage Combat Swords - Stage Combat Swords are quite different from functional swords. If you are a stage performer or are creating a movie or film project, then you will want to use Stage Combat Swords for your fight scenes, and then use a functional or decorative sword for non-fight scenes. These full tang weapons have been crafted by hand with the blade made from a thick rigid piece of steel that extends the length of the blade through the grip with heavy welded guards and pommels. Keep in mind that you never want to hit swords edge to edge, as this will damage the blade. Stage Combat swords are crafted to hold up to repeated blade on blade combat in reenactments and theatrical style duels. The blades are made thicker and heavier than functional swords, usually with rounded tips and edges. Stage Combat swords are made of high carbon steel and range in price from $90-$300.

How much are you willing to spend on your sword purchase?

Swords can range from $16 to upwards of $2000, so it is up to you as to how much you want to spend on a sword.

Decorative Swords $16 to $900

Functional Swords $50 to $2000

Stage Combat Swords $90 to $300

Keep in mind that you get what you pay for. If you are looking for a nice quality Functional Sword that you would like to use for many years, you will want to look for something around $200 or more, and stick with the top manufactures such as Windlass, Darksword Armory, Legacy Arms, and Hanwei. While there are functional swords cheaper than that, their quality is not as good. Decorative swords are just the same, the more expensive they are, the better quality and better made they are. We know that not everyone can spend hundreds of dollars on a sword, but perhaps they would still like to have one, and that is why we offer the largest selection of swords online with prices for anyone's budget.

What style of sword are you looking for?

Now that you know what you plan to do with the sword (decorative, functional, stage combat) and you have decided how much you would like to spend, it is time for the last decision, what style do you like best? Buyingasword.com has hundreds of styles of swords for you to choose from. Are you looking for a historically accurate sword, or perhaps a specific culture such as a Roman sword, a Viking sword, a Scottish sword, or an Oriental sword? What about a fantasy style blade? We offer many swords that are inspired by times of old, but with modern futuristic designs. Pick your personal favorite and you're on your way to owning a sword!

We hope our sword buying guide has answered some questions for you and helps you make an informed choice for your next sword purchase. If you still have questions or need some assistance, please call us at 1-877-637-9673 or email us at service@buyingasword.com.

What Buying a Sword has to offer

Archery & Crossbows

Buying a Sword carries a full line of Hand crafted LOTR Bows, Traditional English Longbows, Recurves, medieval longbows and Crossbows. Our crossbows are both decorative and functional which include Medieval, Gun, Slingshot, Rams Head, Italian, Defense, and Fantasy Crossbows. We have functional English Longbows, Target Bows, American Longbows and the Legolas Style Bows. You will also find many accessories, such as leather quivers, arrows, arm guards, targets and hand protection.

Live Action Roleplay

Live action role playing re-enactors can find plenty of LARP Weapons and LARP Leather Armour and Accessories to satisfy their needs. Check out are wide selection of LARP weapons, including LARP swords, LARP daggers, LARP maces, LARP axes, knives, flails, clubs, rapiers and Hammers. We provide every kind of or LARP armor protection from Shields, leather harnesses, leather pauldrons, spaulders, arm bracers, gauntlets leather breastplates to fantasy Leather Helms. LARP protection consists of Steel armour, quality leather armor and even hybrid larp armour made from hybrid polyurethane. Our LRP armour comes in a wide variety of styles like Dragon armour and Samurai armour. We also have styles of Lord of the Ring Orc armor and Troy armor that are perfect for your fantasy amour needs.

Functional & Decorative Swords

Buying a Sword offers one of the largest sword selections on the internet.LARP Swords and WeaponsThese wonderful sword replicas of famous medieval, fantasy, renaissance, ceremonial, samurai swords and military sabers make great gifts and decorations. Functional swords consist of Roman swords, Viking sword, Celtic swords, Norman swords, German swords, Italian swords, English swords, European swords, medieval swords, swords from the renaissance, and Japanese swords and katanas. We carry well known sword brands, CAS Iberia, Hanwei, Marto, Windlass, Acero, Ritter Steel and Stage Steel. Many of our functional swords come in a variety of edges, such as sharp, or blunted (rebated) for sword fighting.Some swords are for decorative use. Decorative swords are mainly used as wall decor, sword display or for costume. Many of our medieval, fantasy, renaissance, ceremonial, samurai swords and military sabers were produced for royalty and famous heroes throughout our history. This makes them perfect as a home decoration and conversation pieces, as well as for the collector or as stage props. We carry renaissance rapiers and swords for all time periods. We carry a variety of cut and thrust swords, back-swords, flamberges and short swords. Our Chinese swords such as Tai Chi, and kung fu swords. Japanese swords include some of the best katana, wakizashi, tanto sets you will find. We have a full range of martial arts training weapons, books and videos. Our wooden swords or training swords consist of single hand swords, two hand swords and Gladius (rudis) swords. We also have the newly added Filipino weapons, Katipunan bolo-tusok, pinute, kris swords and kris-kalis.

Lord of the Rings

Buying a Sword offers a range of Official Lord of the Rings weapons, including famous swords wielded by characters like Aragorn, Frodo, Legolas, and more. Many are fine collectibles designed after the movie props, making each one a stellar piece to own and display. We also carry limited edition items like the Sting Sword, Anduril Sword, and several weapons from its prequel series, The Hobbit. With our selection of Lord of the Rings weapons and Hobbit weapons, fans of the series have all they need to build a fine collection.